The Latest Buzz Alternate Ending
by leacers
Summary: This work in progress is a reimagining of the students' last days at Teen Buzz magazine, as well as the beginning of their new adventures, both within and outside of Ernie Coombs High. Only the first chapter is complete so far, but I hope to write many more, and will upload them as I go along.


_The final episode of The Latest Buzz provided an emotional ending to a surprisingly good series, but I felt that it was missing a crucial element to it. While the finale concluded their time at Buzz nicely, it left too many unanswered questions, not only about the fate of the individual characters, but of the team as a whole. Does leaving the magazine signal the start of a new chapter in their lives, or do they simply carry on as they were, including still taking the same classes together at Ernie Coombs High? We do find out about what happens to Michael and (maybe, if she did end up moving out west) Amanda, but in my opinion, the show doesn't really close out the stories of Rebecca, Noah or Wilder. This "alternate ending" fanfiction will address my interpretation of it._

Chapter 1: Bad News

Four weeks until summer

A phone call. That was all that let the student writers at _Teen Buzz_ know that their time at the magazine was coming to an end. Starting September, a new crop of incoming ninth graders would replace them and signal the beginning of a new adventure at _Buzz_ under the guidance of firm but caring editor Dianne Jeffries. In the meantime, the current staff had less than a month left before they would turn in their final articles, and a cloud of gloom hung in the air, dampening everyone's enthusiasm for the upcoming summer vacation.

For now, the five teens tried to go about the office as normally as possible. Rebecca Harper sat at her desk, eyes focused intently on her computer screen, finishing up a feature on some of the lesser-known clubs at Ernie Coombs High. Wilder was in the kitchen, putting together the ultimate cold cut sandwich and a giant bowl of nachos, getting ready for a marathon gaming tournament for charity later that day. Noah Jackson had managed to get his hands on a demo CD of a new local band, and was interviewing its members over smoothies at the Blurb. Michael and Amanda were in D.J.'s office, getting feedback on their latest collaborative article on celebrity fashion.

There was the familiar "ding" sound as the elevator door opened, and out stepped Mr. Shepherd, the teens' media studies teacher. Rebecca didn't look up from her desk as Shepherd purposefully made his way to D.J.'s office. He got there just as Michael and Amanda came out. They also didn't say a word as their teacher strode into the office.

"D.J.," Shepherd began, "I have some really bad news—"

"I know," D.J. interrupted.

"Well, how are we going to tell the kids?"

"They know, too."

"Oh." The ensuing silence was brief but uncomfortable.

"Look, Shepherd," D.J. finally said, "the kids still have a month left. That's four more issues of _Buzz_ left to print. I think it's too early to prepare any goodbye ceremonies just yet."

"I disagree," Shepherd replied. "Have you seen what these two years have meant for them? You, of all people, should know. Look at the mood out there right now. No one even looked up and said hi to me when I came in."

"No one says hi to you anyway, Shepherd," D.J. retorted.

"That's beside the point. These kids' lives basically revolved around _Teen Buzz_ for the last two years. They need to have something to look forward to, when they can't have this anymore. They need to have plans, not just for summer vacation, but for when they're back to being regular students at Ernie C. again.

"I know we'll have a whole new group of students in September to teach, mentor and guide, D.J., but I hope that wherever these guys are off to down the road, at any step along the way, they can still come to us for support and guidance, and I hope that we can still find the time to remain involved in their lives, as mentors and friends. I know that I, for one, have invested way too much into their growth to just forget about them without a second thought. And all this takes time, D.J.—time that we're running out of."

"So what are we going to do?" asked D.J.

...

"I wonder what Mr. Shepherd wants us here for," Rebecca commented, as the student writers gathered in the boardroom in the raised area of the _Buzz_ floor. "I don't think I can take any more bad news today."

"Shh," whispered Noah, who had finished his interview and now joined them, as Shepherd and D.J. ascended the short stairway, "here he comes."

"Now," their teacher began, "you might be wondering why I called you guys in here."

"To finally punish us for interrupting your lunches?" Noah quipped.

"To tell us that we failed?" Michael asked cautiously.

"No." Shepherd took a deep breath, then began, "First of all, I want all of you to know how sorry I am that you guys won't be coming back next school year." He paused, letting his words sink in. "I also want you to know how much of a privilege and a pleasure it was to have each and every one of you in my class these past two years."

"And how lucky I was to have you journos to mentor here at _Teen Buzz_," put in D.J.

"You guys have less than a month left," Shepherd continued, "and I hope that you make this the best month you've ever had at _Teen Buzz_. But everything has to come to an end eventually, and this is why I called you in here today. To let you know that this is not the end of your relationships with these wonderful people. Just because you won't all be together at the _Buzz_ anymore, doesn't mean you'll be saying goodbye for good. You've all grown so much together and developed amazing relationships with one another during your time here. Romances blossomed and best friends were made, but they're all equally special and important. I hope that, wherever you guys go in the future, you'll be able to think about these people and reflect on the experience you've had with them at _Teen Buzz_. Reflect on how each of them contributed to your own personal growth, on how they have made you into the person you are today and in the future.

"Most of all, I hope you all keep in touch with one another. People change constantly, and they drift apart. In a few years, you'll all be doing your own thing, I don't expect you all to remain best friends forever or even to spend a lot of time together. But even little things, like catching up over coffee or just hanging out at someone's place for a bit, can mean a lot. As for D.J. and I, we'll have new classes to teach and mentor, but I hope you know that we will always remember you, and that you can feel free to come by at any time to visit either me or D.J. Our doors will always be open for you, whether you need advice or just a friend."

No one said a word, with everyone trying to take in what Shepherd had just said. Even Noah, who was always good for a wisecrack during times like these, was quiet.

D.J. broke the silence. "Now, what we're all going to do is a little team-building session."

"Ooh, we're forming a team?! For what? Dodgeball?" exclaimed Wilder. This broke the tension in the air, and everyone laughed.

"No, Wilder; team-building is for bonding with people you've just met," Rebecca told him.

"But we all know one another already," said Michael. "Why are we doing this now?"

"I know you all know one another, and I know how special of a group you guys are," replied D.J. "I just hope this will help you see for yourself and remember that years from now."

D.J. pulled out a large manila envelope from her jacket and began to explain the first activity. "It may now seem like a long time ago, but I'm sure you all remember writing entrance essays when you first applied to be part of _Buzz_. Now, what you'll find in this folder are cut-up parts of every one of your essays, mixed together. Your task is to work as a group to put these parts together into complete application essays. To help you, I will be giving you the entire first paragraph of each essay, and you will complete them by determining which part belongs to which essay and assembling them in the correct order." D.J. emptied the contents of the envelope onto the coffee table while everyone gathered around it.

"Good luck, journos. Ready, go!"


End file.
